A method for effectively using a channel during data communication between terminals is to estimate a current channel capacity, thereby minimizing loss of data packet, which is caused by exceeding the channel capacity. Therefore, the estimation with respect to the current channel capacity may be required to effectively use the channel.
According to a conventional channel capacity estimating method, a server end separately transmits additional probing packets that are different from data packets, and a client end receives and analyzes the probing packets, thereby estimating the channel capacity. The method has been used in a wired network that has relatively wider bandwidth than a wireless network. The described method is not appropriate in the wireless network where the channel capacity is small since the additional probing packets use the channel and decrease the channel capacity that is available to actual data packets.
Therefore, a method for effectively estimating a channel capacity in a wireless network where the channel capacity is small is required.